Plymouth Meeting Friends School

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
231370503
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2019
Forms available
Form 990 2019
Location
Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
Phone
6108282288
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,604,972
Expenses
$2,778,808
Assets
$3,427,900
Liabilities
$934,814

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2019. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • BRENDA CRAWLEY (HEAD OF SCHO): $56,757 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2019. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Plymouth meeting friends school provides an education based on the quaker belief that there is a god in everyone. Through its nurturing environment, the school offers an intellectually challenging and creative academic program to a diverse student body. Supported by adults who model respect and understanding, students reach toward individual strengths as responsible members of a community of learners.

What it reported doing in 2019

In 1780 members of plymouth monthly meeting established plymouth meeting friends school to provide a co-educational, elementary education based on the quaker belief that there is a god in each person. Children from diverse economic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds are welcomed into the student body. In the spirit of friends, pmfs cultivates an environment that celebrates the world and its people with the hope that children will discover their own gifts, recognize their differences and similarities, value stewardship and service, and remain ever-curious, lifelong learners. Plymouth meeting friends school promotes excellence in academics, arts, and athletics through an integrated, developmentally sequenced curriculum that includes service learning activities, field trips, and travel extending beyond the immediate community. Spiritual development grows from the nurturing of the whole child. Testimonies, such as peace, simplicity and integrity, equality, and community, are the outward manifestation of firends' beliefs and are interwoven into the edicational process for children, parents, and faculty. Development of "the light" within each person is encouraged in every aspect of the school day. Emphasis is placed on peaceful, non-violent response to conflict and decision-making as well as the development of responsibility to a global community. While continually examining thr balance of academic challenge and age appropriate expectations, pmfs celebrates the exuberance and joy of children who are active members of a community of learners. The school provides an education to approximately 125 students from pre-school age through 6th grade.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 80% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 66% for direct work, and 34% for grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 79.7%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 75%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.54 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -6.7%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.23; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2%; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.9% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.1% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.2% per year; rating input score 0; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 79.7% of revenue deployed · 75% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $57K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2010 to 2019
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 21/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 16/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 48/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 44/100.